Read on Twitter
1/10 “All I can think is, ‘I can’t believe this Brit just ripped me off for $26.99.’
How a $27 dollar subscription and a follow up email led to one former NFL receiver’s investment in one of the hottest analytics tools in
. Time for a thread 
How a $27 dollar subscription and a follow up email led to one former NFL receiver’s investment in one of the hottest analytics tools in
. Time for a thread
2/10 Chris Collinsworth, former 3x pro bowler w/ @bengals, became aware of @pff when he was asked to work a studio show for NBC. He essentially needed a cheat sheet to keep up with all the stats around the @nfl. Collinsworth took a leap of faith and coughed up the $27 fee.
3/10 A few minutes later he sent out an email to the website, looking to find out who was behind the site and if they could please call him. PFF founder, @PFF_Neil called back a few moments later.
4/10 Hornsby originally fell in love with football when he came across the analytical work of sportswriter Paul Zimmerman and watching Sunday night NFL highlight packages airing on his Channel 4. He launched a site in 2007 to give his take on football statistics.
5/10 Hornsby’s site quickly grew in popularity and by 2014 it was doing a million 
in revenue and had 13 @NFL teams subscribed to the site. Enter Collinsworth’s email and their first call.
in revenue and had 13 @NFL teams subscribed to the site. Enter Collinsworth’s email and their first call.
6/10 But once Collinsworth heard Hornsby’s accent, he was livid, “what does this guy know about football?” he thought. He started hammering Hornsby with football questions. 5 minutes later, “I started to figure out @PFF_Neil knew way more about it than I did.”
7/10 A week later, Collinsworth made an offer to buy a majority stake in @pff. Collinsworth was joined by frmer @CincyBell CEO Jack Cassidy, frmer @NBC exec Dick Ebersol, @UCLAFootball coach Chip Kelly, and @blackrock exec Charlie Calhoun
8/10 Since the investment, PFF has grown to 100 employees, doubled its office space, counts all 32 NFL teams and over 80 college teams as subscribers, and has deals with @NBCSports, @CBSSports, @FOXSports, @ESPN, and the @Pac12Network.
9/10 Additionally, PFF plans to add soccer and rugby to its already thriving business. Hornsby told @BusinessCourier, “We’ve had our best year ever.”
10/10 And Collinsowrth? “He’s not just an All-Pro receiver and a great broadcaster, he’s a pretty damn good leader of business as well,” said @PFF_Neil.
